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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

'Behind Closed Doors' by Carol Wyer

Updated: Dec 8, 2022

Book Description


Two kidnappings, thirty years apart. Can Stacey face her own dark past in order to save her stepdaughter?


When Stacey’s ex-husband turns up on her doorstep begging her to help save his kidnapped thirteen-year-old daughter, Lyra, the terror is all too familiar. Stacey’s own violent kidnapping thirty years ago was never solved, and while a severe case of amnesia spares her from recalling the specific horrors, she remembers enough…


Stacey knows her father never paid the ransom—she has the missing pinkie finger to prove it. She knows she was only saved because of an anonymous tip-off to the police. And she knows her captor was never apprehended.


Lyra’s kidnappers have made it clear the police must not get involved. But Stacey can’t shake the eerie similarities between the two cases, and she’ll use whatever she can, from her journalistic powers to her shady contacts, to save Lyra from the same nightmare. Desperate to find any link between Lyra’s abduction and her own, Stacey forces herself to revisit her forgotten, traumatic past for clues.


But can she make sense of the terrible secrets she unearths in time to save Lyra? And if she does, is she ready to face her own tormentor?





BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Behind Closed Doors' by Carol Wyer.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carol Wyer, Zooloos Book Tours and Thomas & Mercer publishers.


Publication date 6th December 2022.


This is the seventh book I have read by this author. I have also previously Carol's 'Detective Natalie Ward' series and her 'Detective Kate Young' series which I would also highly recommend.


I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am also a huge fan of Carol and if this is half as good as any of her previous books it is sure to be a fantastic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Thomas & Mercer. I have yet to read a book published by Thomas & Mercer that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of 22 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!



This book is based in Lancashire, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited holidayed in Lancashire this year so am looking forward to see if I recognise anywhere


This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Stacey O'Hara. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.


OMG!!!! ANOTHER ABSOLUTE PAGE TURNER!!! What are you doing to me!!!!! Seriously!!!!! I hope you are writing your next book as I write this!!! I'm talking to you Mrs Wyer!!!!! Right, yes, well anyway let's give you my review....



Carol Wyer does it Yet again!!! ABSOLUTELY Fantastically written as always ensuring a smooth and easy read that sucks you straight into the pages. Vivid descriptions put me in the middle of the action looking at everything going on in High definition. The cover and synopsis works perfectly with the storyline.



This is the first standalone I have read by the fantastic Carol so was excited to see if it would be just as good as her 'Detective Natalie Ward' and 'Detective Kate Young' series. Well... Mof course it bl00dy well was!!! This is Carol Wyer we are talking about here!!! A woman full of talents and surprise who can write psychological thrillers, comedy's, romance, series and standalones and each one will completely suck you in from the beginning to the end!!!


The storyline itself was very fast paced, rammed full of action, murder, mystery, suspense, tension and twists and turns. OMG the bombshells and unexpected twists which I was not expecting (a rarity to surprise me after the amount of crime books I've read but Carol does it without fail every time!!!) and WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE ONE at the end!!! I CANNOT WAIT for the next book this queen of crime comes out with next!! The storyline was realistic so easily imagined and the events themselves were unique which is definitely a positive when you have read the same ones over and over again!! An absolutely addictive and compelling page turner!!! If your going to start reading this then clear your schedules because it is absolutely unputdownable!!!! It is filled with crime, loss, romance, bribery, corruption, lies, deceit, excitement, tension, suspense and so so much more!! I mean it literally ticks every single box that you could ask for when looking for THE BOOK. You could NOT get any better than this. This is the best book I have read this year. I have loved all Carol's books but she just keeps getting better and better!! How do you do it?!?! The research Carol has put in absolutely shines through as does all her trips to Morecambe. I loved the photos which she posted online which made it even more realistic plus recognising some names of places I've visited and I was completely sucked in. There were so many times I looked up and had no idea where I was as I was just so lost in the storyline. The descriptions are perfect as is the atmosphere. The ending just completely blew me away!! One minute I thought I knew what was going on and the next I thought I was on the wrong track completely. I didn't know who to trust or who to believe. It is so rare to find a unique storyline when it comes to crime as there are so many out there but yet again Carol has absolutely blown my mind and slamdunked it. The ending was just WHAT THE HELL SHUT THE THE FRONT DOOR!!! I literally shouted when I read it which earned a few strange looks from my partner lol.


IF YOU LOVE A GOOD BOOK THEN THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!!!!


I absolutely loved meeting all the characters!! Stacey is just amazing, an extremely strong female lead who didn't hold back the punches while going through hell herself after the trauma she had been through. I always love it when an author brings in strong women. I also liked Stacey's personality and really felt for her on several occasions. I love the fact that she refused to back down in what she believed was going on although there were times when I thought maybe she should consider other options more. It is hard to write what I want to about the rest of the characters without giving too much away. It is clear that Carol has done her research on hypnotherapy and police procedures among all the other topics that she covers in this explosive storyline. Regardless of who I did or didn't like they were all very strong and well defined characters. As always Carol brings her characters to life ensuring they jump out at the reader and drag them deep into the storyline with them.



I am really looking forward to the next book that this amazing lady comes out with and would LOVE to see this made into a movie!!! It would definitely be a best seller along with this amazing novel which kept me up late at night (early in the morning) as I just could not put it down!!!!


Congratulations Carol on another absolutely blooming page turning success!! This is exactly why you are my favourite crime author and because you lady have talent!!! Keep up the amazing work and here is to your next success 🥂


Overall a not to be missed, must read, addictive and explosive page turner with a BOMBSHELL ending!!!


Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense and Crime Fiction amongst others.



I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as Angela Marsons, Tess Gerritsen, anyone looking for a good book and YOU, your friends, your neighbours, just everyone!!



335 pages.


This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £4.99 in paperback via Amazon (during time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews



@CarolWyer @Thomas&Mercer @ZooLoosBT @ZooloosBookTours @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Netgalley










Author Bio


Carol Wyer is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of the People’s Book Prize Award. Her crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.


A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.


In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK, USA and Australia. Since then, two further books in the series have been published, with a fourth and fifth due out in 2023.


A standalone psychological thriller, Behind Closed Doors, will be out later this year and is available to preorder now


Carol has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on Sky and BBC Breakfast television.


She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband, Mr. Grumpy . . . who is very, very grumpy.


When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.


To learn more, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer.





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Zoe O'Farrell
Zoe O'Farrell
Dec 09, 2022

thank you so much for taking part in the tour and for sharing this fab review x

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